Sports

Andoni Iraola: What we have learned from Liverpool’s start under new boss

Published

19 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

Many of Iraola’s attacking principles resemble those of one of his long-time managerial inspirations, the former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa.

The Argentine coached Iraola at Athletic Club between 2011 and 2013 and, speaking to Sky Sports in 2023, the Liverpool boss acknowledged this influence.

“I use a lot of exercises from Marcelo that I learned from him, especially with the ball,” Iraola said.

“Offensively, his teams are very dynamic, willing to make all the runs to the space, he is ready to accept this kind of disorder offensively.”

Like Bielsa’s sides, Iraola already has the Reds playing in a busy manner. When attacking, it is rare to see Liverpool‘s players filling specific areas in a rigid style.

Another tactic Bielsa leans on is the use of wide pairings or trios to break teams down. Iraola experienced this at first hand when playing as a right-back for him.

The full-back and winger would regularly combine on the outside, but the relationship was never as simple as one holding the width and the other supporting underneath statically.

Bielsa, like Iraola now, encouraged players to change their positions in relation to each other.

The winger could come inside, opening the outside lane for the full-back, while a midfielder would move towards the pair to create a third passing option.

On other occasions, the full-back could move inside himself, allowing the winger to remain high and wide.

Liverpool are already showing similar patterns under Iraola, especially on the left, where full-backs have pushed into the final third alongside Rio Ngumoha or Cody Gakpo on the left wing.

Florian Wirtz, playing primarily as Liverpool‘s number 10 under Iraola, has drifted to that flank to provide a third option capable of playing centrally, deep or out wide.

The rotations of these wide triangles make it hard for opponents to know who they should be picking up.

By simplifying the attacking game into two-v-two or three-v-three situations, Liverpool are hoping to have a repeatable and dynamic solution, resulting in crosses from dangerous positions close to goal.

Sports

'Gobsmacked!' | Hull FOUR-PUTTS the 17th moments after taking the lead!

Published

40 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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The crowd was stunned to silence as Charley Hull four-putted on the 17th hole moments after taking the lead.

Sports

Today on Sky Sports Racing: Flat action from Windsor live on Monday evening with Badri chasing a four-timer | Racing News

Published

47 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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Windsor takes centre stage on Monday with a six-race Flat meeting live on Sky Sports Racing.

7.15 Windsor – Badri seeks four-timer in Sprint Series Final

Badri seeks a four-timer in the feature race at Windsor, the Fitzdares Sprint Series Final Handicap over six furlongs.

This horse has been a credit to connections, winning 15 times in 75 starts with his last three runs resulting in success, all at Pontefract. That has taken him from 89-rated up to 99 which is his best mark since March 2024.

Another Abbot returns to Windsor looking to follow up his course-and-distance success two weeks ago after previously running a creditable race in behind Amazing Journey, who went on to to win the International Handicap on King George Day at Ascot. That form reads very well and he could be hard to beat.

Sudden Flight is a model of consistency, finishing second in his last three starts which included in behind Another Abbot two weeks ago. He does find winning hard to come by, though, having not won since July last year, but is now better off at the weights with William Haggas’ charge and looks sure to run his race.

6.15 Windsor – Harry Knows and Keep Kicking On feature

Previous-winners Harry Knows and Keep Kicking On lock horns in the Fitzdares Nursery Handicap.

Harry Knows won in stylish fashion last time out at Windsor and received a three-pound rise for the success which might not be enough to stop him from continuing the winning sequence.

Keep Kicking On also arrives off the back of his first success over this track and trip when hitting the line readily three weeks ago and there could be more to come.

This Moment represents the connections of Bow Echo, dropping into a nursery for the first time and must be respected off 79 given the form of George Boughey and Billy Loughnane this season. He is interesting first time out after a gelding operation too.

5.45 Windsor – Mythological Star bids to defy penalty

Mythological Star headlines in the Find Us At fitzdares.com Apprentice Handicap where he carries a six-pound penalty for his success at Ffos Las.

Gelded before his first run, this half-brother to Astro King made it fourth-time lucky last time out when he won a shade cosily. Narrowly beaten on his penultimate start, that win came as no surprise as he was well supported and justified favouritism in good style for Daniel and Claire Kubler.

Hello Cotai disappointed at Epsom last month but this had followed a win here at Windsor and then a commendable third at Epsom before he finished last of four. He may prove best of the opposition.

Sports

Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for Aug. 10, 2026, puzzle No. 686

Published

54 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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Need help with today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.

A quick public service announcement before we continue: The bottom of this article includes the answers — and hints — for the four categories. So if you want to solve the board hint-free, we recommend you play before continuing.

You can access today’s game here. And when you’re done, try out our limited-edition Connections: Soccer Edition for an extra challenge.

Today’s difficulty

Game No. 686’s difficulty: 2.5 out of 5

Connections: Sports Edition hints for Aug. 10, 2026

Scroll below for one answer in each of the four categories.

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Yellow: WINNER

Green: SMOKE

Blue: 4

Purple: COMBO

Connections: Sports Edition answers for Aug. 10, 2026

Scroll below for the full answers to each of the four categories.

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Yellow

Tennis stat: ACE, DOUBLE FAULT, UNFORCED ERROR, WINNER

Green

Make good contact (in baseball): BARREL, CRUSH, LACE, SMOKE

Blue

Associated with Dak Prescott: 4, COWBOYS, MISSISSIPPI STATE, QUARTERBACK

Purple

_____ guard: COMBO, MOUTH, NOSE, OFFENSIVE

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic’s first-ever game, a daily puzzle designed for players to find connections between 16 words on the game board.

The game’s objective is to group words or objects into four groups of four based on commonalities within each group as quickly as possible. Find the groups without making four mistakes. Each puzzle has exactly one solution, so watch out for words or items that seem to belong to multiple categories!

Category examples:
Sports ____ : Fan, Car, Bar, Radio
U.S. Summer Olympians: Biles, Phelps, Ledecky, Lyles

Each category group is assigned a color, revealed as you solve, ranging from straightforward (yellow) to medium (green) to challenging (blue) to tricky (purple).

Who creates the puzzles for Connections: Sports Edition?

That’s me! My name is Mark Cooper, and I create Connections: Sports Edition and work as a managing editor for college sports here at The Athletic. I was previously The Athletic’s managing editor for breaking news.

The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone. Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!